California Cheese Soup

California Cheese Soup

Tianna's version of Jalin's recipe (original below):

• 4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth
• 7 cups veggies, could include:
• 3 small diced potatoes
• 1 bag (16 oz) frozen California blend vegetables
• Diced carrots 
• Diced celery
• Diced onion
• 2 cans (10 ¾ oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 lb cheese, cut into cubes

- Bring broth to a boil in a large kettle; add veggies.
- Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Stir in soup and cheese; cook until soup is heated through and the cheese is melted.

Note:  I use whatever vegetables I have, but prefer to have at least broccoli in it.  This is a very versatile recipe.

Cleanup tip: Do not try to use a sponge or washcloth to clean up the soup pot. Instead, use a scraper to get the cheese off.

California Cheese Soup

From the kitchen of: Jalin Bingham

1 quart water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 ½ cups diced peeled potatoes

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

½ cup diced onion

1 bag (16 oz) frozen California blend vegetables

2 cans (10 ¾ oz) condensed cream of chicken

   soup, undiluted

1 lb cheese, cut into cubes

Bring water to a boil in a large kettle; add next six ingredients.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.  Stir in  soup and cheese; cook until soup is heated through and the cheese is melted.  Yield: 10-12 servings (3 qts)

Note:  I use whatever vegetables I have, but prefer to have at least broccoli in it.  This is a very versatile recipe.

Crusty bread

Crusty Bread

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix with a spoon or spatula until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.  Overnight works great.  

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot* with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.**  Cover and return to oven for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until top is golden brown.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. 

*I use a small enamel-coated dutch oven. I have used a regular dutch oven before and sprayed it with oil before baking, and it turned out great (I also doubled the recipe as the pan was far larger than mine normal pot).  I've heard you can use pretty much any oven-safe thing with a lid, but can't speak from experience. Just remember that the dough will take roughly the shape of whatever pot you use.

**This is a good place to add cheeses, fresh herbs, etc. Let your imagination soar. (My favorite is fresh rosemary and shredded parmesan cheese.)

White Bean Chicken Soup

White Bean Chicken Soup

Recipe from: Carol Homer

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 2 cans northern white beans
• 1 can corn
• 1 can diced green chiles
• 1 can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Add all ingredients except sour cream and heavy whipping cream and bring to boil. Add dairy, stir, and heat through. Serve.

Peppered Cabbage

Chop enough cabbage to fill a large pan.
Blanch
Drain off water
Cover with brine: (Make enough to cover cabbage)
2½ c. vinegar
1 c. sugar
3 T. salt
2¾ t. pepper
Simmer 1-2 hours
Place in jars & seal – Hot pack for 30 minutes (pints)

Note:  1 large head of cabbage makes about 4-5 pints

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Sorry this recipe isn't more exact. It's made for canning, so the instructions are fluid to fit whatever amount of cabbage you have and the size of pan you're using. If the brine isn't enough, double or triple, etc. the batch until it covers the cabbage.  When I make pork chops and peppered cabbage, I use 2 pints over 4-6 bone-in pork chops (the bone keeps the pork chops more tender in cooking). So if you're making it fresh for that and not for canning, I would probably do a half a head of cabbage and 1/2 - 1 batch of brine and don't blanch. If you're making dinner in the crockpot, you could probably get away without simmering it for 1-2 hours as well. Just put pork chops, cabbage, and brine in the crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours. I'd suggest searing the pork first, too.  (Also good with a pork roast.)  Note: I have never made it fresh; I have always canned it. So these instructions are simply my best guess.

Kelley’s Beef Marinade

From: Kelley Johnson

1/2 c oil
1/3 c soy sauce
1/4 c lemon juice
2 T mustard
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 clove crushed/minced garlic
1 t pepper
1 1/2 t salt

I usually put in about 1 1/2 lbs of stew meat, but you could really put it on anything.  Enjoy!

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Basalmic Butter

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

From: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1. 1 pound fresh asparagus spears
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
3. ¾ teaspoon salt
4. ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5. ½ cup balsamic vinegar
6. 1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar
7. 1 pound penne pasta
8. 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
9. 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ of the pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. While the asparagus roasts, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until just done, 11-13 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the butter and vinegar mixture. Toss to combine well. Add in the asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese for serving.



Notes

1. If asparagus aren’t in season, cut 1 pound of broccoli into small spears for roasting. Toss them with 2 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes. Ok, if you want to take this to a whole new level, try browning the butter before adding it to the pasta.
2. The photo does not have penne. We were experiementing with different pastas. I would highly recommend penne.
3. I typically start simmering the vinegar at the very beginning on medium low. Cooking it too hot will cause it to go thick and goopy and burn to your pan. By cooking it a little lower, it takes longer, but if started at the beginning it's typically done about the same time as everything else.
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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts
From the kitchen of: Carol Homer

Beat 2 eggs and 1/4 cup milk.  Dip up to 10 chicken breasts in egg mixture, then into a mixture of flour and garlic salt.  Brown in oil.  Place in baking pan.

Meanwhile, make sauce.  Mix:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 1 cup crushed pineapple (plus juice)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup ketchup.

Bring sauce to a boil, then pour over chicken.

Bake at 350º uncovered for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.